Office Artifact

In this ongoing series for Stanford Business magazine, we visit Stanford GSB professors’ offices and ask them to share the stories behind some of their favorite mementos.

School Stories & News Opensearch
April 23, 2026
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Office Artifact: Zhiguo He’s Unofficial Copy of ‘Brownian Motion and Stochastic Flow Systems’

“If a copy of your book was being sold on the street, that meant it must be really good.”
August 07, 2025
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Office Artifact: George G.C. Parker’s 1977 GSB Yearbook Cover

A yearbook cover sparks memories for this Stanford GSB finance professor
May 01, 2025
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Office Artifact: Matteo Maggiori’s Banknote Collection

“The history of currency is the history of the rise and fall of geopolitical powers.”
September 27, 2024
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Office Artifact: Annamaria Lusardi’s Photo with Ben Bernanke

A cold email to the head of the Fed proves a smart investment.
April 23, 2024
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Office Artifact: Chenzi Xu’s Civil War Bond Advertisement

An old leaflet shows how Americans were sold on lending Uncle Sam much-needed cash.
October 10, 2023
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Office Artifact: Michele Gelfand’s Pickle Costume

When you’re doing serious research, making time for fun is a pretty big dill.
Portrait of Michele Gelfand and a student dressed in her pickle costume. Credit: Elena Zhukova
April 24, 2023
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Office Artifact: Hau Lee’s Bullwhip

When supply chain disruption comes around, you must whip it.
Hau Lee holding a bullwhip and smiling. Credit: Micaela Go
September 28, 2022
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Office Artifact: Ashley Martin’s Painted Rocks

What a rock named Roxanne can teach us about the “stickiness” of gender.
A photo of Ashley Martin holding her painted rocks. Credit: Photo by Gabriela Hasbun
March 18, 2022
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Office Artifact: Claudia Allende’s Rongorongo Tablets

An artwork from Rapa Nui is a reminder of the importance of leaving home to learn about the world.
Photo of Claudia Allende holding Rongorongo tablets. | Credit: Elena Zhukova.
September 10, 2021
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Office Artifact: Christian Wheeler’s Bronze Desktop Sculpture

A one-of-a-kind gift evokes lessons learned at an eclectic bookstore.
Christian Wheeler holding his bronze desk sculpture. Credit: Elena Zhukova
April 05, 2021
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Office Artifact: Szu-chi Huang’s Reproduction of a Harold Weston Painting

How a professor’s love of art led her to a career in marketing research.
A close up of Szu-chi Huang’s reproduction of Winds, Upper Ausable Lake by Harold Weston that hangs in her office. Credit: Elena Zhukova
October 30, 2020
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Office Artifact: Saumitra Jha’s Arabic Astrolabe

How a medieval navigation tool symbolizes the link between world trade and inter-ethnic harmony.
Saumitra Jha holds a brass astrolabe — a navigational tool used by medieval traders — that he bought while doing research in the port of Cochin, India.| Elena Zhukova
July 24, 2020
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Office Artifact: Sarah Soule’s Refrigerator Whiteboard

While sheltering in place, a Stanford GSB professor decided to write out equations in her kitchen — much to her cat’s confusion.
Senior Associate Dean, Sarah Soule, using her refrigerator as a white board in the early days of quarantine. Credit: Ivan Geraghty
January 13, 2020
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Office Artifact: What Fly-Fishing Taught Me About Investing

Stanford GSB accounting professor Charles M. C. Lee shares the story behind his favorite teaching keepsake.
Charles M. C. Lee holds the shadow box of fly-fishing flies given to him by students in one of his investment classes. | Toni Bird